Queen's University Belfast

University

Education

The programme provides an alternative route to the current PhD for mid-career and senior professionals in mainstream education and related disciplines in Northern Ireland and further afield. It consists of a taught element and an independent, research-related thesis, whereby on successful completion, students will have made an original and independent contribution to educational knowledge in the field determined by the topic of their research dissertation study.

Entry requirements

Applicants should hold a primary degree and a Master's degree, or equivalent recognised qualifications; applicants will normally be expected to have at least 5 years' full-time professional experience at a senior level in a field of work related to education. Students whose 1st language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each indivudal component (or equivalent qualification).

Course modules

Compulsory modules include: educational research: an overview; experimental methods in educational research; narrative and arts-based research approaches; philosophical and ethical issues in educational research; qualitative research: methods, data and theory; quantitative research: methods, data and theory; researching children and young people in educational settings; survey methods in educational research; the professional as researcher. Optional modules may include: Assessment and testing: Concepts and issues; education and the law; education in divided societies: contribution to social cohesion; educational special needs: policy and partnerships for inclusion; leadership; TESOL: Discourse and pedagogy; TESOL: Issues in language learning; the international human right to education: research and practice.

Assessment methods

Assessment methods include an assignment of 5000 words for each module and a 40,000-word dissertation.